Chris' Tuscan Beef Stew - Take 2

Chris' Tuscan Beef Stew - Take 2

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Method:  Crock Pot

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Servings:  8
Calories Per Serving: 305

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pound Chuck Roast, trimmed and cut into 1 to ½ inch cubes. 
• 1 medium White Onion, diced.
• 12 ounce whole Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced (include cores – do not get pre-sliced as they are dried out).
• 2 14.5-ounce cans Petite Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Seasonings.
• 4 ounces Red Wine.
• 2 cups Beef Stock.
• 1 tablespoon Rosemary, chopped.  Plus 2-3 sprigs extra.
• 1 tablespoon Thyme, chopped.  Plus 3-4 sprigs extra.
• 3 Bay Leaves, whole.
• Salt.
• Freshly ground Pepper.
• Garlic Powder.
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil.
• 3 medium Carrots, sliced into ½ inch pieces.
• 1 Russet Potato, cut into 1 to ½ inch cubes (I like to leave the skin on the potato).
• 1 15.5-ounce can of Garbanzo Beans, drained.

Directions:

• Prepare the chuck roast, onion, and mushrooms.  Coat the beef with salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
• Tie the sprigs of rosemary and thyme together into a small bundle.
• Add olive oil to a heavy skillet/pot.  Heat on medium high.  Brown the seasoned beef (about 2-3 minutes).   Transfer beef to crock-pot.
• Add mushrooms, onions, diced tomatoes, chopped rosemary, chopped, thyme, red wine, and 2 cups beef stock to the crock-pot.  Stir well.
• Add bay leaves and rosemary/thyme bundle to crock-pot.  Stir to combine.
• Cook on high for 8 to 10 hours.  2-3 hours before completion add the carrots, potatoes, and garbanzo bean (or you can add them at the beginning, but cook 10 hours on low).  Stir well.
• Before serving, let the stew sit for a few minutes to allow any residual grease to float to the top.  Use a spoon to remove the grease, or use a piece of bread to soak it up.  Remove the herb bundle and the bay leaves.

Some additional tips...

• The starch in the potatoes will help thicken the stew, but you can also add some cornstarch (mixed with a bit of water)  or Wondra flour to thicken the stew further.  When I do this, I add the cornstarch/flour 60 minutes before dinner.
• You can always add more beef stock or wine to add to the stew's volume.

Enjoy!

-Chris (PiedPiperOSIB)

Chris' Tuscan Beef Stew

Chris' Tuscan Beef Stew

Prep Time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking Method:  Crock Pot

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours (crock pot on low)

Ingredients (listed in order needed)

• Olive oil
• 3 lb chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes with the excess fat removed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 8oz package of mushrooms (baby bella's or cremini), sliced
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large rosemary springs, stripped and chopped (about 1.5 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary)
• 2 bay leaves, whole
• 32 fl.oz (1 QT) beef stock
• 28 oz. Can of family cut or diced tomatoes (with the liquid)
• 1 package/envelope dried onion soup mix
• 1 cup red wine
• 2-3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Egg noodles (no-yolk or whole wheat is what I use) or a hearty crusty bread

Directions:

1. Prepare the beef, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary.
2. In a large pot add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Heat on high until oil is fragrant.  Add the beef and brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to beef.  Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer beef mixture to crock pot.  Add rosemary, bay leaves, beef stock, tomatoes (with juice), onion soup mix, and red wine.  Stir until combined.
5. Cover crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours.
6. Prepare the carrots and potatoes.  Add them to the crock pot after 4 hours of cooking.  Check stew for seasoning and add salt or pepper if needed.
7. Cover crock pot and cook on low for another 4-6 hours.  The stew will be done after 4 hours, however the cooking time can be lengthened as needed.
8. 30 minutes before meal time, remove bay leaves.  Stir in the Dijon mustard.
9. Serve over egg noodles an or with some hearty crusty bread (or both)

Some additional tips...

• If I have fresh thyme, I will add that along with the rosemary
• The starch in the potatoes will help thicken the stew, but you can also add some cornstarch mixed with a bit of water along with the Dijon to thicken the stew further.  When I do this, I cook on low for 60 minutes instead of 30.
• You can always add more beef stock or wine to add to the stew's volume.
• I often cook the egg noodles ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator to save time.

Enjoy!

-Chris (PiedPiperOSIB)

The Pied Piper's Garbanzo Bean, Mushroom, and Prosciutto Penne with a White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

I raided my pantry and refrigerator today and came up with this.  It ended up being quite good so I wanted to post the recipe.


Feel free to make changes to this if you want.  My tastes are unique to me.  If you have any great additions or changes to this recipe let me know!  If you try it out and like it (or you hate it) let me know as well!

Preparation Time:  10-15 minutes

Cook Time:  15 minutes